No. 18
Aviation in Nebraska
Since the beginning of time, men and women have desired to fly like
the birds they saw soaring high above them. Many people tried to turn
their fantasies into reality. They put wing-like structures onto their bodies
and jumped from towers or high walls. The results were usually disastrous.
Some of the first attempts at flying in Nebraska involved lighter-than-air
aircraft. These were large balloons which used gasses to achieve flight.
Most used hydrogen gas which was extremely dangerous and caused
many explosions. Eventually, helium was substituted. By then, though,
balloons were being abandoned in favor of heavier-than-air airplanes
which used engine power to fly.
This is a balloon being inflated before takeoff in 1903 in Broken Bow.
The first flight of a heavier-than-air
aircraft in the United States was made in
1903 in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, by
Wilbur and Orville Wright. It was seven
years before Nebraskans saw their first
airplane flight. On July 23, 1910, seven
thousand people in Omaha watched a
twelve minute exhibition flight by Glenn
H. Curtiss.
Flights such as these inspired many
Nebraskans to explore the art and
science of flying. The seven Savidge
brothers from Ewing, Nebraska –
George, John, Joe, Dave, Phillip, Louis,
and Matt – spent every waking hour
making a plane of their own.
After numerous trials and crashes, the
Savidges had their first successful flight
on May 7, 1911. Thrilled by their success,
they took their plane on a tour across
Nebraska and throughout the Midwest.
Here one of their planes flies above
Spalding, Nebraska.
The Savidge brothers’ tour
lasted for about five years.After
Matt was killed while testing a
new plane on June 17, 1916, the
boys’ parents and sisters insisted
that they give up flying. Their
planes were taken apart and
stored in their barn.
The most successful airplane created by Arrow Aircraft of Lincoln, Nebraska, was the
Arrow-Sport. The attractive little plane proved to be a top seller when it was taken to air
shows in New York and Chicago. Today, if you visit the Lincoln Airport terminal, you can
see an old Arrow-Sport hanging from the ceiling.
Aviation is the operation of aircraft. Can you define these similar words?
Aeronautics? Aviator? Aviatrix? Astronaut? Airport?
Despite the danger, fascination with flying quickly
spread throughout Nebraska. Raymond Page, a car
dealer from Lincoln, realized the importance of avia­
tion. In 1919 he purchased a large stock of airplane
parts and began to make planes. Page soon discov­
ered that he needed pilots to deliver the aircraft to
buyers. He opened the Lincoln Airplane and Flying
School to train aviators.
One of the school’s students became
one of the most famous men in aviation
history. Charles Lindbergh came to Lincoln
in 1922 and enrolled at the school. Flying
lessons were very expensive – around $300
for ten hours of instruction. After only a few
lessons, Lindbergh’s instructors realized that
he was a “natural” pilot. In fact, Lindbergh
took his last three lessons in parachute
jumping rather than piloting.
After leaving Lincoln, Charles Lindbergh went around the country performing
various aerial stunts. This was not enough of a challenge for him. No one had
yet flown alone across the Atlantic Ocean, from New York to Paris, France,
nonstop. On May 20, 1927, Lindbergh made the journey in thirty-three hours
and twenty-nine minutes. Lindbergh became an instant celebrity and hero. After
making the trip, Lindbergh and his little plane went on a cross-country tour of the
United States. Here his plane, The Spirit of St. Louis, rests in Lincoln.
Because of its central location,
Nebraska became an important
stopping point for airmail during
the 1920s. Airmail service began
as an experiment in the United
States in 1911. The first transcon­
tinental flight was made in 1918.
The first night airmail flight in
the nation was from North Platte,
Nebraska, to Chicago, Illinois.
Pilot Jack Knight had to follow a
path created by bonfires lit by
farmers in order to see the route.
Eventually, airfields received lights. North Platte had the first night-lighted airmail field in the
United States.
One of the most famous airmail pilots in Nebraska
was Evelyn Sharp of Ord. Evelyn began flying at the
age of fourteen and received her commercial pilot’s
license at the age of eighteen. She was the youngest
person in the nation to achieve that rating. Evelyn was
also one of the first female airmail pilots in the coun­
try. She made her first airmail pickup at Ord on May
19, 1938.
During World War II, Evelyn joined the Army Air
Force’s Women’s Auxiliary Ferrying Squadron
(WAFS). She was one of many expert woman pilots
who flew military aircraft from factories to shipping
points. On April 3, 1944, at the age of twenty-four,
Evelyn was killed when the plane she was flying
crashed on takeoff. The airport at Ord is named Sharp
Field in her honor.
An important aviation company
was the Arrow Aircraft and Motors
Company, which started in 1925 in
Havelock, Nebraska (now part of
Lincoln). Airplane production at Arrow
Aircraft used modern assembly-line
techniques. The company’s 570
employees turned out four airplanes a
day! Before closing in 1941, Arrow
briefly led the nation in sales. These
women workers are putting fabric
coverings on airplane wings.
Most of the first pilots made their
living by barnstorming. Barnstorming is
another word for performing aerial
stunts and parachute jumping. Barn­
storming shows were very popular at
county and state fairs. One basic
barnstorming stunt was wing walking.
Many wing walkers pretended to fall
during their act, much to the delight of
the crowd. Of course, some of these
stunt men and women did fall, and
accidents were very common.
During the 1930s air passenger
travel began for the adventurous. You
can see what the interior of a passen­
ger plane looked like during those
early days. After World War II, passen­
ger travel became more common and
safer with advances in technology.
The country continued to look to
Nebraska as an aviation center during
World War II (1941- 45). Eleven military
air bases were built by the army during
the war in Ainsworth, Alliance, Bruning,
Fairmont, Grand Island, Harvard,
Kearney, Lincoln, McCook, Scottsbluff,
and Scribner. These air bases were
used to train crews of men to fly large
airplanes known as “bombers.” Here
the crew of The Aksarben Knight looks
over its plane. (What does Aksarben
spell backwards?)
Because of all the aviation activity in Nebraska’s skies during the
war, airplane spotting became a popular hobby for boys and girls.
Kellogg’s provided paper and balsa wood airplanes in its boxes of PEP
cereal for kids to put together.
In the years following World War II, avia­
tion declined in Nebraska. Most of the air
bases are now abandoned. Many of the small
town airports have been closed. However,
Nebraskans can be proud that Omaha was
chosen to house the Strategic Air Command
(often called SAC) at Offutt Air Force Base in
Bellevue. From this location, SAC conducts
world-wide operations which help defend the
United States.
NEBRASKA STATE HISTORICAL SOCIETY
1500 R Street, Box 82554, Lincoln, NE 68501
www.nebraskahistory.org
Published by the Nebraska State Historical Society for
Free Distribution to Nebraska Fourth Grade Children
Ongoing support for Nebraska Trailblazer is provided by
The Dorothy Weyer Creigh Memorial Endowment,
established with the Nebraska State Historical Society Foundation
through gifts from Thomas Creigh, Jr., in memory of his wife.
Paper Glider That Loops the Loop!
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Fig 1
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Fig. 2
Following instructions A through D, fold a
paper glider (Fig. 1). To make the glider loop
the loop, the rear corners of the wings should
be turned up at right angles as in Fig. 2.
Launch it with a great deal of force with the
nose pointed slightly upward (a high ceiling is
helpful). After looping once as shown in Fig. 3,
the glider descends nose downward as shown
in Fig. 4.
Fig. 3
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Fig. 4
Fig.5
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Fig. 6
Fig. 7
➛
To make the spiral
descent shown in Fig.
8, bend the corners of
the wings up as in Fig.
2, and bend the near
corner of the keel at
right angles as in Fig. 7.
Fig. 8
Try different methods of launching
to find the best for the type of glider
action you wish to have. The boy in
the illustration shows one method for
a very smooth launch.
A corkscrew flight can be had
by preparing it as shown in Fig.
5. One rear wing corner is bent
up and the other down. When
launched, the glider will fly down
or horizontally while rapidly
rotating, as shown in Fig. 6.